Carnival of Flowers WaterWise Statement
From humble beginnings in 1950, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has become our region’s premier tourism event. The event is an integral part of Toowoomba's cultural and economic identity and proven a critical element in the City's morale.
Toowoomba City Council’s decision to continue the Carnival of Flowers and the Chronicle Garden Competition was considered at great length. While the City is currently faced with unprecedented water shortages, Council made its decision mindful of the City's economic sustainability and the quality of life experienced by residents. Importantly, the decision reflects upon Council's position that life must continue despite the current water situations and that the City's cultural and economic fabric should be supported, especially in times of hardship.
Council made this decision with the intention to best minimise water use, raise awareness of WaterWise initiatives and to encourage innovative thinking regarding gardening and the mechanisms for effective water management. Key elements of this restructure include:-
• > “Drought-proofing” the City’s major parks and gardens through tank storage systems.
• > The implementation of “Xeriscapes” to the City as opposed to planted garden beds. Xeriscapes offer Council an effective landscaping method that employs drought-resistant plants to conserve water and requires little maintenance.
• > Only 25% of the normal Carnival planting will take place this year.
• > Only three major parks and gardens will be on display – Picnic Point, Queen’s Park and Laurel Bank Gardens.
• > All water used for the event will be trucked in from non-reticulated water sources. The non-potable water used for entrants in The Chronicle Home Garden Competition is provided by Toowoomba company, Summit Water Services.
• > All potted colour flowers used for the Carnival will be drawn from suppliers not reliant upon the local water supply.
• > WaterWise themes and displays within the Ergon Energy Flower, Food & Wine Festival.
• > The Chronicle Garden Competition will be capped at 30 entries this year (significantly reduced from previous years).
The total usage of non-potable water for the entire The Chronicle Home Garden Competition will equate to 1.05 ML. This is only 3% of what Toowoomba residents are currently using per week. Fifteen of the 30 entrants in the 2007 competition are utilising private bore water meaning that this amount of 1.05 ML is only notional with the total water usage likely to be significantly less.
Toowoomba City Council is committed to addressing the city’s water shortages with long-term solutions in mind. Cancelling the Carnival of Flowers altogether would be a shortsighted decision on Council’s part. A decision of this nature would not relieve the current water shortages but would certainly have an adverse effect upon the many business operators who would suffer from the decline in economic injections in the city.